Grass shears



July 26,1932. 0. w., ATTERBURY 1,869,295

GRAS S SHEARS Filed Feb. 18. 1951 2 Sh eets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY July 26, 1932.

0. W. ATTERBURY GRAS S SHEARS Filed Feb. 18, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 7i! AfierZm m v6- ATTORNEY Patented July 26, 1932.

UNITED: STATES OSCAR warmiuaumr, or SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS G mss saunas Application filed February 18,1931. Serial No. 516,750.

My invention relates to grass shears and particularly to shears used in trimming the edges of lawns and around fences, bushes and the like. v r

It is an object of the present invention to provide a grass shears which may be operated while standing so as to relieve the operator from the strain of manipulating the shears from a stooping position.

A further object is to provide such a device in which the shears areadjustableto any desired angle with respect to the handle ;so as to avoid the awkwardness and strain of tilting the handle farover to either side in order to bevel or curve the edgesof thelawn.

A still further object is to provide a shears in which the operating parts may readily be stamped from sheet metal, which may be quickly and easily disassembled for the re- 9 pair or replacement of worn or broken parts and which is particularly easy to operate.

Other parts not specifically mentioned will become apparent during the course of the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which form a part of thisspecification and in which:

Figure 1 is aside elevation of a portion of the device; I

D Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the of Fig. 1; r

Fig. 4c is a perspective view of a portion of the device;

Fig. 5 is a device; I V a Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the upper portion of the handle; 7

3 Fig. 7 is a cross section on the line 7 -7 of t. Fig. 8 is a cross section on the line 8 -8 of Fig. 6; Fig. 9 is a detail View of a line 3-3 side elevation of the complete modified form of the invention, and

mally disposed at an angle of about 45 with respect to the horizontal.

The lower end of the handle is provided with a horizontally disposedand forwardly directed tubular coupling member 'in': the form of a shank 11. The coupling member 11 is secured to the handle 10 by means of attaching arms '12 and 13 which are disposed at an angleto the shank l1 and are preferably formed integral therewith, thearms 12 and 13 clamping the lower end of the handle between them. An eye bolt 14 and a screw headed bolt 15 which pass through thearms and the handle serve to securely-fasten the arms and shank to the handle 10. I

A relatively flat and wide supporting casing'16 is supported forwardly of and in substantialalinement with the shankll. The

casing 16v is formed in two iparts,.the lower half being shown in Fig. 4:. Thelower half ing'in depending-inwardlydirected channel 1 guidesQL which embrace the edges of the" .plate 17 to form a socket between thetwo plates for the reception of the cutting blades to be presently described. The semi-cylin- I drical portion 25 has its edges formed to produce flat outwardly directed flanges 26 which are received by the guides 22 thereby serving to lock the two halves together and producing a tubular socket or sleeve which pling 11.;

is received on the tubuletnshank or 0011- A pairof cutter-blades 27; and 28 are pivtotally mounted within the casing 16 and between the plates 17 and 23. The blades are substantially triangular in shape and the diverging; cutting edges. are disposed: mover lapping relationship when the shears are closed as is common in cutters of this genera-l type. A bolt 29 passes through the casing 16 adjacent one edge thereof and through an opening in the blade 27 at the apex opposite the cutting edge thereof. A bolt 30-extends through the casing 16 at a point opposite to thebolt 29 and through an opening in the blade 2-8 at the apex opposite the cutting edge thereof. The back edges of the blades .27 and 28 arerdIded-over upon themselves as indicated at 31 and 32 for the purpose of giving rigidity to "the blades, also to aid in disposing the cutting edges thereof in proper cutting relationship. 'The apexes'33 and 34 of the blades 27and 28 opposite the backs and at the rearward terminus of thecutting edges are each provided with laterally disposed registering slots "35 and 36 respectively for the reception of a'steel wire or hook member "37. The hook '3? terminates rearwardly in an eye 38 for attachment to an'ope'rating linkage tobe'pre'sently described. It will be obvious that la rea'rward pull on the hook 37 will result in v closingiof the blades 27 and-28. Theblades are normally held in theopen positionshown in Fig. Q bY'H bOWGdESPIiIIg 39 Which is securedcentral-ly to the top of "the plate 23 by a olampingear 40 which is preferablystruck out o'fsa'id'plate. The free ends of the bowed spring 39- are hooked into "slots'dl and 42 in ithe blades 27 and 28 respectively. The ends'of the bowed'spring are also sprung in opposite directions so as to exert "a downward pressure on the blade 27 and an upward pullh on' the blade 28, thereby further insuring proper contact of the blades during the cutting operation.

- The operating mechanism for the cutters 27Iand' 28 consists of a hand lever 43 which is ipi votally secured to the handle by :means ioztiears 44 and pivot bolt 45. The hand-lever '43 is provided witha perforated lu'g 46 which extendsopposit'e to the ears 44 311 121 to which the upper endfof a'n operating 'r o(fl" l7 is secured; The operating rod extends "-longitudinally ofgthe handle 10 and through the iey'e l-8of eye bolt 1 i, :the 'ey'e forminga gu id'e for the lower end ofjthe-rod. The lower end 0-Zf'tl1e-I0Cl47 is formed withan eye 49 which i-s-enga'ged through a perforation -50 in on'e corner of a pivoted-triangularplate 5 1. The

t'riangular plate 51 is pivotally supported leet/ween 'a pair of ears 52 struck up frem either side o fthe arm 12, the-plate extend-ing through a slot'53 'between-said' ears. 1A bolt 54 Jiserves as a pivot for said plate. The plate 51 extends downwardly through a slot 55 in the lower arm 13 and is formed with--21 forward projection 56 on the "forward side -th-ereof, the plate being cut back below the .iprojeotion to produce a shoulder {57 which abuts against the forward end. wall of -the 1 35 slot -55" to limit the forward pivotal "movement of the plate 51. The projection 56 is provided with a perforation 58 engaged by the eye 59 of a link 60 which extends forwardly through the tubular coupling 11, The forward end of the link 60 terminates in an eye 61 which is connected to the eye 38 of the hook 37 by means of a ring 62.

It will thus be seen that operation of the hand lever 43 will result in a pull on the rod 47 Which through plate 51 and link 60 will result in*a"re'a-rward pull on the hook 37 and operation of the cutters 27 and 28 against 'th'eac'tion of spring 39. The spring 39 nor-' ward moveIn-Bnt of the plate 51 so as to --en-" gage thezshonlder 57 with the end of the slot 55. Y

A tubularguard 63 provided with attaching ears 64; at either end :is secured to the handle 10 by 'means of screws 65. 'The rod 47 passes through the tubular guard "so as to allow a firm grip of the handle without interfering with the action of the rod 457.

In order to provide a rest for the device during operation, apair'of runners are provided. The-runners '66 are in the form of heavy 'U s'haped wires which extend obliquely downwardly ofthe casing 16 and socket carried thereby, the aendsof the wire runners being secured to the socket and casing respectively bi'y' clamping ears 67 -a'nd i68 formed with these parts.

In order to provide for the angular adjustment of the casing 16 and cutters 27 and 28, the .sooket -forined:by:parts 21 and 25 for is 'made rotatable upon the tubular shank 11 land means are also provided for locking the 'parts in 'adjust-ed .position; The forward end of' the shank llis provided 'with'circuniferential'ly spaced notches 69 in which lugs 70 carried by :the inembers 12-1 and 25 :are-en gaged when the parts are in engagement.

In order to :prevent'rthe Eparts :from 'being accidentally pulled: apart "so "as :to disengage is formed by bending he end of a wire 74.

xdownwardlm the wire being Seouredlto the member 25 bya bolt 7 5. The shank I1 and socket 21-25 will normally be urged together by the "tension of the spring estate to th limiting of the forwardpi'vo'tal"movementof 1i the'plate 51 and the resiiltant tensioning of the connections between said plate andithe assess? and 28..

its

adjustment bi? the blades. with respect "to the horizontal, the pin 7 2 is disengaged from the perforations 71 and 73 and the socketis moved off of the shank 11 far enough to disengage the lugs from the notches 69. Slack suflicient for this purpose is created by bringing the outer points of the cutting blades 27 and 28 together with the hand. The socket and casing may then be rotated to the desired angle and the parts allowed to spring back into position. The eye and ring connections of the cutter operating linkage permits quite a great angular adjustment Without binding of the parts. a 1

In the modificationshown in Fig. 9, a chain 7 6 or other flexible connection is trained around a pulley 7 7 which is rotatablymounted upon a bolt 78 which extends transversely of the handle 10 and through arms 7 9 which embrace the sides of the handle at the lower end thereof. The arms 79 are formed With the shank 11 as in the case of the arms 12 and 13. The chain is connected at one end to the eye 49 of the rod 47 and at the other end to the eye 38 of the hook 37 and passes through the eye of screw 81. The tension on the connecting parts created by engaging the shoulder 57 of the plate 51 with the forward end of the Wall of the slot 55, in the first form described, is achieved in the modified form by having the eye 49, at the end of the rod 47, abut against the screw eye 80 as the blades are forced apart by the spring 89. Otherwise the operation of this form of the invention is the same as that of the first form.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that various changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a handle member, an angularly disposed shank carried by the lower end of said handle, a blade holder having a socket received on said shank and a pair of pivoted cooperating cutting blades carried by said holder.

2. In a device of the character described, a handle member, a tubular shank carried by the lower end of said handle and extending at an angle thereto, a blade supporting member having a socket for mounting on said shank, a pair of cooperating pivoted cutting blades tion between saidlever and said blades exposed tubular shank,'a blade supporting member mounted on said shank for axial rotative adjustment relative. thereto, said member being formed of a pair of slidably connected sections, shear blades carried between the sec- -tions of said supporting member, an operating lever carried by 'said handle, and means connecting said blades and operating handle, 7

said means extending through said tubular shank.

OSCAR w. ATTERBURY.

carried by said supporting member, and an o operating mechanism for said blades.

3. In a device of the character described, a

handle member including an angularly disposed tubular shank, a blade supporting memer including a tubular sleeve received on said shank and rotatably adjustable relative thereto, means for locking said shank and sleeve against relative rotation, a pair of cooperating shear blades pivotally mounted on sald blade supporting member, an operating 5; lever carried by said handle, and a c0nnec- 

